WIPO Members Urged To Overcome Differences On Disclosure Of Origin Of Designs 26/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment This week, World Intellectual Property Organization delegates are being urged to come closer on remaining issues in a potential treaty facilitating the registration of industrial designs for international applicants. This is easier said than done, though, as a number of WIPO members request that the treaty allows countries to request applicants to disclose the source of their designs, and other countries find this would defy the harmonising aim of the treaty.
WHO Debates Changes To Safeguards Against Undue Influence By Outside Actors 26/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments This week a group of delegates at the UN World Health Organization is seeking to finalise agreement on a draft framework defining the organisation’s relationships with external actors, such as philanthropy, the private sector, academia, and civil society. Today, Norway put forward a potential compromise. Meanwhile, dozens of civil society organisations called on member states to stand up to pressure to compromise the intergovernmental body’s independence from private sector influence.
MPP Amends HIV Licensing Agreement To Cover More Countries 25/04/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Medicines Patent Pool announced today that its current licensing agreement with ViiV Healthcare for a new antiretroviral drug will be extended to all lower middle-income countries.
WIPO Members Set To Decide On Industrial Design Treaty Negotiation 25/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A potential treaty to facilitate international applications for industrial designs for creators is on the agenda of a meeting next week at the World Intellectual Property Organization. Also on the meeting agenda is the protection of country name registration and use as trademarks, and a proposed geographical indications filing system.
WIPO Digital Rightsholders Conference Ponders Business Ideas 25/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Last week’s World Intellectual Property Organization conference on the digital content business gathered speakers from different sectors of industry, from content producers to authors and performers. Rightsholders and others gave updates and tried to advance strategies for managing rights in a digital market.
IP Should Serve More Actors In New Ways, Keynote Speaker At WIPO Says 21/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The much-advertised World Intellectual Property Organization conference on the digital content market kicked off with a visionary speaker calling for the broadening of intellectual property rights income as a way forward for a sustainable economic ecosystem and reducing inequalities. The WIPO director general meanwhile said digital technology has brought new possibilities and reduced prices but also carries its load of regulatory challenges.
Leaked IP Chapter Of Asian FTA Reveals Tough Rules For Poorer Partners, Civil Society Says 20/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The alleged intellectual property chapter of a secretive regional trade agreement between an association of ten Asian countries plus six others was released yesterday by a civil society group, which says richer countries in the region are pushing for stringent IP rules.
WIPO Committee Adopts New Development Projects, Agrees Future Work, Stumbles On Technical Assistance 18/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Intellectual Property Organization committee members last week agreed some new development projects and advanced discussions on the agency’s development dimension, including technical assistance, technology transfer and ties to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But negotiators could not complete a near-breakthrough on compromise measures to sharpen WIPO technical assistance through new guidelines, seminars, measurement tools, coordination, and tighter rules on selection of consultants.
WIPO Members Flirt With Agreement On WIPO Technical Assistance 15/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Technical assistance provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization and the United Nations agency’s technology transfer-related activities were discussed at length by WIPO member governments this week. At press time on the final day of a weeklong meeting, an updated proposal by Spain appeared to be bringing members nearer consensus on the way forward on WIPO technical assistance.
WIPO Scrutinised For Development Dimension, Involvement In UN Panel On Medicines 13/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments New text-based government efforts to recommend to the World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly which committees should report on their development activities have been unsuccessful so far this week. Separately, WIPO was asked by members to provide information on its involvement with the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines, and responded that it is in a delicate situation.